SAN DIEGO — California Assemblyman Matt Haney toured downtown San Diego on Wednesday, seeking solutions to revitalize urban centers across the state that continue to grapple with challenges in the wake of the pandemic. Haney, who chairs the Select Committee on Economic Recovery, is conducting a listening tour of eight downtowns throughout California. The San Francisco-based legislator aims to gather insights and ideas to help reinvigorate these vital urban areas.
"How can the state help? What do we need to be doing better and more of to support your work in ensuring the downtown here can thrive? Where do the investments need to be made? What kind of policy changes can we make to make it easier?" Haney asked during his visit.
The tour included stops at key downtown locations, including the newly renovated Jacob's Music Center, where Haney learned about efforts to ensure patron safety at San Diego Symphony events.
At Resident Brewing, company president Marty Ochs shared his frustrations with government red tape. "I went through the process of trying to make this better and the process of doing that could have taken me months and months and months... I don't have months," Ochs explained.
Haney emphasized the evolving nature of downtowns and their continued importance. "It's not the retail that it was before. It's not the office space that it was before, but it still has an important role for our economy. For our culture, for our community and certainly for this city," he stated.
The assemblyman is considering various strategies to breathe new life into downtown areas, including:
- Encouraging more housing development in downtown areas
- Exploring the conversion of old office spaces
- Implementing tax credits to incentivize people to work downtown
Haney also stressed the need for state-level involvement to create vibrant urban centers. "If we want downtown to thrive, we've got to give them a reason. Tacos, good weather, baseball games, some arts, some culture, the symphony, and it's got to be clean and safe when they come down here," he concluded.
The insights gathered from this tour will be taken back to Sacramento, where Haney plans to push for initiatives aimed at reinvigorating California's downtowns.